Film

Les Choristes: Le making of

Name: Les Choristes: Le making of
Released: 2004

Drama

A making-of documentary that follows the creation of Les Choristes, the beloved French film about a music teacher transforming troubled boys through choir. It's a behind-the-scenes look at how the film was made, how the young actors were trained, and the real joy that emerged on set. Essential viewing for anyone who loved the film itself, or anyone interested in how cinema creates emotional truth.

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you already love Les Choristes and want to see how its boys' choir was put together and filmed, the kind of behind-the-scenes detail that makes a favourite feel more like a craft you can admire.

Skip it if you have no real interest in the film itself, since this is a look behind it rather than a story you can enjoy cold, and it leans on you already knowing the film.

What it asks of you: Seventy-two minutes of loose, unhurried behind-the-scenes material with no plot to follow, so it rewards patience and a willingness to drift rather than close attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Singin' in the Rain1952

A joyous masterpiece about the transformative power of music and performance. The film's infectious energy and technical brilliance show how cinema can capture pure creative elation—much like Les Choristes does.

But It's a 70-year-old Hollywood musical, which can feel dated or theatrical if you're expecting something grittier or more contemporary.

Dead Poets Society1989

A teacher uses unconventional methods to awaken passion in his students, changing their lives through art and self-discovery. It shares Les Choristes' emotional core about education as transformation, not just instruction.

But The film is sometimes criticized as sentimental, and the ending carries weight that some find manipulative rather than earned.

The Pursuit of Happyness2006

Chronicles how one person's determination and belief in others can lift people from despair. Like the making-of, it shows the real human effort behind stories of triumph and emotional connection.

But It's a very earnest Hollywood drama with a straightforward message, which can feel heavy-handed if you're in the mood for subtlety.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Les Choristes: Le making of

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Wadjda2012

Both films use music and performance as acts of quiet resistance against systems that try to control or diminish their subjects; both trust viewers to find profundity in small, human moments.

A Saudi Arabian girl fights for the right to ride a bike and join her school choir. Like Les Choristes, it shows how art and self-expression can challenge systems designed to suppress joy, but in a completely different cultural context.

But It's a slow, quiet film about constraint and resistance rather than triumph. There's no grand emotional release—just steady, dignified defiance.

Mamma Mia!2008

Pure, unapologetic joy through music and ensemble performance. The film itself was a joy to make, visible in every frame—capturing that same infectious happiness that Les Choristes documents.

But If you don't enjoy ABBA or broad, unironic cheerfulness, this will feel painfully saccharine and lightweight.

The School of Rock2003

An unconventional teacher uses music to reach kids who've been failed by the system. It's funny and warm, with genuine affection for its students and real performances from the young cast.

But It's comedic rather than dramatic, and the tone is quite American—lighter and more irreverent than the melancholy beauty of Les Choristes.

The Sound of Music1965

The grandmother of all 'music teacher transforms lives' stories, showing how a warm human connection can heal entire families. The musical numbers are genuine performance, not just spectacle.

But At three hours, it's a commitment, and the saccharine reputation is partly earned—some find it overly sweet and dated.

Whiplash2014

An intense exploration of music's power and the complicated relationship between teacher and student. It captures the obsessive drive and real stakes of musical training with visceral energy.

But It's psychologically brutal and ends on an ambiguous note that many find unsatisfying or darkly cynical about art itself.

Mr. Holland's Opus1995

A music teacher discovers that his greatest compositions are his students, and their lives have been shaped by his devotion. It's a quieter, more reflective take on education as a calling.

But It's deeply earnest and sentimental in ways that can feel overwrought, and the emotional beats are predictable.

August Rush2007

A young musician with extraordinary gifts discovers himself through music and mentorship. It celebrates the mystical connection between art, fate, and human connection in a romantic, stylized way.

But The plot is contrived and emotionally manipulative, relying on coincidence rather than earned character development.

Amour2012

Both films reject sentimentality while being deeply moving. Both trust that showing real human care—whether joyful or anguished—is enough. Both refuse to look away.

A devastating portrait of a man caring for his wife as she deteriorates from stroke. It's the inverse of Les Choristes' story—where joy is excavated from darkness, here we watch light fade. But it's similarly honest about what it means to love and be present for another human.

But This is one of cinema's most emotionally brutal films. It shows suffering without reprieve or redemption, which many find simply too painful to endure.